Shanti Stupa, Ladakh

Last updated

Shanti Stupa
Leh, Shanti Stupa, Ladakh, India.jpg
Religion
Affiliation Tibetan Buddhism
Location
LocationChanspa, Leh district, Ladakh, India
CountryIndia [ citation needed ]
Geographic coordinates 34°10′25″N77°34′29″E / 34.17361°N 77.57472°E / 34.17361; 77.57472
Architecture
Style Bhikshu Gyomyo Nakamura
FounderLadakh Shanti Stupa Committee under Bhikshu Gyomyo Nakamura[ citation needed ]
Date established1985

Shanti Stupa is a Buddhist white-domed Stupa (chorten) on a hilltop in Chanspa, Leh district, Ladakh, in north India. [1] It was built in 1991 by Japanese Buddhist Bhikshu, Gyomyo Nakamura. The Shanti Stupa holds the relics of the Buddha at its base, enshrined by the 14th Dalai Lama. [2] The Stupa has become a tourist attraction not only due to its religious significance but also due to its location which provides panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.

Contents

Construction

The Shanti Stupa was built by both Japanese Buddhists and Ladakh Buddhists. The original idea belonged to The Great King Ashoka[ citation needed ]. Nichidatsu Fujii implemented his idea to modern time as a symbol of peace. [3] The mission of Nichidatsu Fujii was to build Shanti Stupa as a symbol of peace[ citation needed ].

Construction of the Shanti Stupa began in April 1983 under the supervision of Bhikshu Gyomyo Nakamura. And Kushok Bakula, a Head Lama of Ladakh helped his activities from New Delhi because he was member of the Minority Commission of Govt of India. The project was built with the help of Ladakhi Buddhists, who offered voluntary labour, and financially supported by Japanese Buddhists as well as Indian suppoters.The then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, sanctioned the construction of a vehicular road to the stupa in 1984. [3] The Indian Army continued support during the construction period. The State Government of J&K provided construction materials for this project.[ citation needed ] The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso inaugurated foundation of Stupa in August 1985. [1] [3] [4]

Description and significance

Main Buddha Shanti stupa main buddha.jpg
Main Buddha
Shanti Stupa in winter Shanti Stupa ( Winters).jpg
Shanti Stupa in winter

The Shanti Stupa features the photograph of the Dalai Lama with the relics of the Buddha at its base. [3] The Stupa is built as a two-level structure. The first level features the central relief of Dharmachakra with deer on each side. A central golden Buddha image sits on a platform depicting the "turning wheel of Dharma" (Dharmachakra). The second level has reliefs depicting the "birth" of Buddha, the death of Buddha (mahanirvana) and Buddha "defeating the devils" while meditating. [5] Both levels feature a series of smaller meditating Buddha reliefs.

The Shanti Stupa was built to promote world peace and prosperity and to commemorate 2500 years of Buddhism. [1] [3] It is considered a symbol of the ties between the people of Japan and India. [3]

Tourist attraction

Since the time of its inauguration, Shanti Stupa has become a popular tourist attraction. According to The Hindu it is the "most famous tourist attraction" around Leh, though its architectural style is different from the Ladakhi style. [1] [6] The Shanti Stupa overlooks the city of Leh, providing panoramic views of the city, the village of Chanspa, Namgyal Tsemo in the distance and the surrounding mountains. [7] [8] Sunrise and sunset are considered to provide the best views from Shanti Stupa. [9] The Stupa is illuminated with lights at night. The Stupa is open for tourists between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. [9]

Shanti Stupa, Leh Shanti Stupa on the hills in Leh.jpg
Shanti Stupa, Leh

Access

A distant view of Shanti Stupa in Leh Shanti Stupa with nature's tricolor, Leh.jpg
A distant view of Shanti Stupa in Leh

Situated at a height of 3,609 metres (11,841 ft), [4] the Stupa is located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Leh - the former capital of Ladakh - on a steep hill facing the Leh Palace. [3] The Stupa can be reached by a drivable road or on foot using a series of 555 steep steps to the hilltop.

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Shanti Stupa". Buddhist-temples.com. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
  2. ↑ "Leh". NDTV.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bhasin, Sanjeev Kumar (2006). "Shanti Stupa". Amazing land Ladakh: places, people, and culture. Indus Publishing. pp. 119–20. ISBN   978-81-7387-186-3.
  4. 1 2 Jagir Singh Bajwa, Ravinder Kaur (2007). Tourism Management. APH Publishing. p. 117. ISBN   978-81-313-0047-3.
  5. ↑ The titles of the reliefs are given on the plaques under the reliefs at the Shanti Stupa.
  6. ↑ Luv Puri (21 August 2005). "Ladakh monuments cry for renovation". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 12 April 2006. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  7. ↑ Frommer's India. Hoboken, NJ, USA: Wiley Publishing Inc. 4 March 2008. p. 524. ISBN   978-0-470-16908-7.
  8. ↑ "Leh: Places to see". VISITLADAKH.COM. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  9. 1 2 "Shanti Stupa". Buddhist-Tourism.Com. 2007. Archived from the original on 2 July 2007. Retrieved 1 December 2009.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leh</span> City in Indian-administered Ladakh, Kashmir region

Leh is a city in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir region. It is the largest city and the joint capital of Ladakh. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh. The seat of the kingdom, Leh Palace, the former residence of the royal family of Ladakh, was built in the same style and about the same time as the Potala Palace in Tibet. Since they were both constructed in a similar style and at roughly the same time, the Potala Palace in Tibet and Leh Palace, the royal residence, are frequently contrasted. It's crucial to keep in mind, though, that Leh Palace lacks the same grandeur and historical significance as the Potala Palace. Although the assertion regarding the architectural period and timeline is frequently made. Leh is at an altitude of 3,524 m (11,562 ft), and is connected via National Highway 1 to Srinagar in the southwest and to Manali in the south via the Leh-Manali Highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peace Pagoda</span> Buddhist stupa; a monument to inspire peace

A Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa; a monument to inspire peace, designed to provide a focus for people of all races and creeds, and to help unite them in their search for world peace. Most, though not all, peace pagodas built since World War II have been built under the guidance of Nichidatsu Fujii (1885–1985), a Buddhist monk from Japan and founder of the Nipponzan-Myōhōji Buddhist Order. Fujii was greatly inspired by his meeting with Mahatma Gandhi in 1931 and decided to devote his life to promoting non-violence. In 1947, he began constructing Peace Pagodas as shrines to world peace. The first was inaugurated at Kumamoto in 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dharmachakra</span> Symbol in Indian religions

The dharmachakra or wheel of dharma is a widespread symbol used in Indian religions, including Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Ladakh</span> Aspect of history

Ladakh has a long history with evidence of human settlement from as back as 9000 b.c. It has been a crossroad of high Asia for thousands of years and has seen many cultures, empires and technologies born in its neighbours. As a result of these developments Ladakh has imported many traditions and culture from its neighbours and combining them all gave rise to a unique tradition and culture of its own.

The Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh is an Indian non-governmental organisation based in Leh, Ladakh, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rizong Monastery</span> Buddhist monastery In Ladakh, India

Rizong gompa, Gelugpa or Yellow Hat Buddhist monastery is also called the Yuma Changchubling in Ladakh, India. It is situated at the top of a rocky side valley on the north side of the Indus, to the west of Alchi on the way to Lamayuru. It was established in 1831 by Lama Tsultim Nima under the Gelukpa order, at Ri-rdzong. There are 40 monks in the monastery. The monastery is also called "the paradise for meditation" and is noted for its extremely strict rules and standards. The nunnery, located about 2 km from the monastery, is called the "Jelichun Nunnery" or Chulichan (Chomoling), where, at present, 20 nuns reside. It is north of Srinagar-Leh highway & north of Mangyu temple complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India</span>

In religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or to a shrine of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. Members of every major religion participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thikse Monastery</span> Tibetan Buddhist monastery near Leh, Ladakh, India

Thiksey Monastery or Thiksey Gompa is a Buddhist monastery affiliated with the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. It is located on top of a hill in Thiksey approximately 19 kilometres (12 mi) east of Leh, in the Ladakh region of northern India. It is noted for its resemblance to the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, and is the largest monastery in central Ladakh, notably containing a separate set of buildings for female renunciates that has been the source of significant recent building and reorganization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korzok Monastery</span>

Korzok, དཀོར་མཛོད་ is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery belonging to the Drukpa Lineage. It is located in the Korzok village, on the northwestern bank of Tso Moriri, a lake in Leh District of Ladakh, a union territory of India. The gompa (monastery), at 4,560 metres (14,960 ft), houses a Shakyamuni Buddha and other statues. It is home to about seventy monks.

In Buddhism, a Kalachakra stupa is a stupa whose symbolism is not connected to events in the Buddha's life, but instead to the symbolism of the Kalachakra Tantra, created to protect against negative energies. It is the rarest kind of stupa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Likir Monastery</span>

Likir Monastery or Likir Gompa (Klud-kyil) is a Buddhist monastery in Ladakh, Northern India. It is located at 3700m elevation, approximately 52 kilometres (32 mi) west of Leh. It is picturesquely situated on a little hill in the valley, in Likir village near the Indus River about 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi) north of the Srinigar to Leh highway. It belongs to the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism and was established in 1065 by Lama Duwang Chosje, at the command of the fifth king of Ladakh, Lhachen Gyalpo (Lha-chen-rgyal-po). It is off the Leh-Kargil Highway, 50 km west of Leh between Alchi & Basgo, 17 km west of Basgo Monastery & 21 km northeast of Alchi Monastery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takthok Monastery</span>

Takthok Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in Sakti village in Ladakh, northern India, located approximately 46 kilometres east of Leh. It is the only monastery in Ladakh belonging to the Nying-ma-pa or Red Hat sect. The name Takthok, literally meaning 'rock-roof' was named because both its roof as well as walls are made up of rock. It belongs to the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and approximately 55 lamas reside there. It is the only Nyingma monastery in Ladakh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diskit Monastery</span> Buddhist monastery in Ladakh, India

Diskit Monastery also known as Deskit Gompa or Diskit Gompa is the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery (gompa) in Diskit, Nubra Valley of the Leh district of Ladakh. It is 115 km north of Leh.

Dzongkhul Monastery or Zongkhul Gompa is located 30 km northwest of Padum in the Stod Valley of Zanskar in Ladakh, northern India. Like the Sani Monastery, it belongs to the Drukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stok Monastery</span>

Stok Monastery or Stok Gompa is a Buddhist monastery in Stok, Leh district, Ladakh, northern India, 15 kilometres south of Leh. It was founded by Lama Lhawang Lotus in the 14th Century and has a notable library including all 108 volumes of the Kangyur. A ritual dance-mask festival is held annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shanti Stupa, Pokhara</span> Peace pagoda in Pokhara, Nepal

Pokhara Shanti Stupa is a Buddhist monument on Anadu Hill of the former Pumdi Bhumdi Village Development Committee, in the district of Kaski, Nepal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Institute of Buddhist Studies</span>

The Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, formerly known as the School of Buddhist Philosophy, located in Leh town of Ladakh is a deemed university under Ministry of Culture. It was founded in 1959 and formerly affiliated to the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University in Varanasi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhikshu Gyomyo Nakamura</span>

Bhikshu Gyomyo Nakamura is a Japanese Buddhist monk, fairytale writer and musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shanti Stupa, Delhi</span> Buddhist monument and tourist place in Delhi, India

Shanti Stupa is a Buddhist monument in Delhi, India, intended as "a symbol of universal brotherhood and peace." It is one of several Peace Pagodas in the world. Started by the Nipponzan-Myōhōji-Daisanga religious order of Buddhism, it was inaugurated by the Dalai Lama on 4 November 2007.

<i>Buddha Preaching his First Sermon</i> (Sarnath) 5th-century sculpture from Sarnath, India

The Buddha Preaching his First Sermon is a stone sculpture of the 5th-century CE showing Gautama Buddha in the "teaching posture" or dharmachakra pravartana mudrā. The relief is 5' 3" tall, and was excavated at Sarnath, India by F. O. Oertel during the 1904–1905 excavation season of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI); it was found in an area to the south of the Dhamek Stupa.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.